Yes. Unlike popular belief, Mac systems can be infiltrated by different types of malware. They can also be hacked by criminals. One reason there’s a smaller rate of hacking Macs is that there are fewer Macs compared to Windows PCs. Hackers can get more money for their efforts if they target Windows PCs which comprise 9/10 of the market.

Yes. However, built-in antivirus just like the Windows counterpart is not enough. XProtect can identify files that Apple has labeled as malicious. But new threats that have not been identified by Apple such as ransomware and phishing, the built-in software becomes inadequate.

When you talk about reset to get rid of viruses, it doesn’t mean just rebooting your device. What you want to do is a factory reset. When you do a factory reset, your hard drive is wiped clean. Still, even a factory reset cannot completely guarantee that 100% of malware will be eradicated. So what can you do? You need to prevent these threats with a good antivirus.

A lot of times people interchangeably use malware and virus. Although you could say that the two are similar, technically they are different. The term malware is used to refer to any malicious software. A virus is a type of malware that has the ability to self-replicate the code similar to a virus in the medical world.

A virus is specifically created with a certain goal in mind, and that is to spread itself, encrypt and delete files, modify applications or disable specific functions of the system. Meanwhile, malware can be designed with a different purpose in mind including stealing credit card information and other financial details, tricking the user to input their personal information to be used for identity theft, taking control of all the computers connected on a single network, or infecting computers in order to mine cryptocurrency such as bitcoin.

Although there are several kinds of malware out there, the most commonly found in computers is the worm.

A worm has the capability to spread through a complete network and take advantage of the operating systems. Worms are also able to self-replicate to repeatedly reproduce their data so that they can infect more devices without the need to be activated by the user.

Another type of malware is called ransomware which encrypts files and demands payment from the user, typically in bitcoin or another type of cryptocurrency if they want to regain access.

Although there are viruses that remain dormant for a long time, there are signs that can easily tell you whether a computer is infected with a virus. If you are worried about your machine being susceptible to a virus, here is a list of some symptoms that a virus is present.

• Pop-up windows – pop-ups often encourage the user to visit a specific website or download a file such as an antivirus or another software program.

• Frequent crashes – If your device or computer keeps crashing or shutting down for no reason, a virus might have infected your machine.

• Slower computer performance – If you notice that the processing speed has been unusually slow when you’re doing basic tasks, it could also be a sign of a virus.

• Different browser homepage – A virus can modify your normal homepage to a different website with no option for you to change it.

• Mass emailing your email contacts – Viruses also use email to spread themselves by sending out infected content to your contact list. You may not immediately notice this behavior unless one of your contacts notifies you of the suspicious email they received.

• Unknown programs upon startup – You can check your list of active programs to see if there are any names that are unfamiliar to you. If you see one, it might be caused by a virus.

• Password change – Strange activities that you did not initiate such as changing passwords can prevent you from accessing your account or your computer.

The best method to prevent your computer from being infected is to install an anti-virus or protection software from a trusted brand such as Avira or Total AV. If you’re unsure which anti-virus software to use, you can take advantage of the free trials offered by anti-virus companies. You can try out the benefits and determine which ones are good for an upgrade. There are other methods to protect devices and computers from viruses.

• You should also know by now to steer clear of pop-up ads despite the temptation to click on one.

• Scan files attached to an email before you download and save them to your computer.

• Check the sender before opening any email attachments. If the sender is unknown, delete the email immediately and report it to your email provider.

• Double-check files obtained through a file-sharing program.

• Similar to email, check the contents and links included in messages you receive in your social media accounts. This is true even if you know the sender but especially for accounts that you are unfamiliar with.